Are you a candidate for hip replacement surgery?

Your hip hurts when you walk, stand or go up and down stairs. It’s difficult to get in and out of the car. You can’t sleep on your side. And grocery shopping? You hang onto the cart like a makeshift walker.

Is it time to think about hip replacement surgery?

When hip pain interferes with daily life and non-surgical treatments haven’t helped, talk to your doctor about getting back to a pain-free life. You may be a candidate for hip replacement surgery if you have hip pain that’s chronic, severe and doesn’t improve with other treatments.  

Take our hip pain self-assessment

With a total hip replacement, the top of your thigh bone and its socket are fully replaced with a prosthetic joint. Almost all hip replacement surgeries are total hip replacements, and arthritis is the No. 1 reason to need one.

“If you struggle with anterior hip pain (pain in front of the hip), have difficulty putting on your shoes or socks, getting in and out of a car and going up and down stairs, you should be concerned about possible arthritis of the hip and seek further medical evaluation,” said Kamal Aderibigbe, MD, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with Iowa Ortho and MercyOne Des Moines Orthopedics Care.

Signs you might need a hip replacement

• Groin pain: In addition to your outer hip, pain is typically felt deep in the groin and can refer to the back, thigh or even knee.
• Pain increases with activity: Pain worsens with exercise, rising from a seated position or any activity, such as walking a distance.
• Difficulty with everyday activities: It’s hard to do daily activities, such as sitting on and rising from the toilet, getting dressed or putting on your shoes.  
• Disturbed sleep: Pain makes it hard to sleep, especially on your side.
• Stiffness after rest: Your hip feels stiff or doesn’t seem to move normally after getting up in the morning or sitting in a chair for a while.
• Other treatments no longer work: Pain relievers, exercise, steroid injections and physical therapy no longer help.
• Emotional wear-down: Pain is wearing you down mentally and emotionally.
• Visual changes: You may notice redness and swelling at the outer surface of your hip.
• Hip noise: You hear a popping sound or feel grating or grinding when you move your hip. 

Dr. Aderibigbe says about 95% of his patients are candidates for a direct anterior hip replacement. This minimally invasive procedure offers a smaller incision, better implant placement, quicker recovery, less tissue damage and fewer restrictions after surgery. “Most important, pain after recovery is less and the majority of patients do not require physical therapy.”  

With a direct anterior approach, the surgical incision is made in the front of the hip, rather than in the side or back, as in traditional hip replacement. It’s considered “muscle sparing” because it doesn’t involve cutting into muscles and tendons to reach the damaged bone and tendon.  

“These patients usually require less pain medication and get up and move around a lot faster after surgery,” Dr. Aderibigbe said.  

Talk to your MercyOne provider about your hip pain and whether it’s time to see an orthopedic specialist. You also can request a consultation with a MercyOne orthopedic expert. 

This blog was reviewed by a MercyOne medical provider.